


Safe Like Springtime

by cherrylarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Ice Cream, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mentions of Cancer, Playgrounds, Walks In The Park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 16:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19445107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylarry/pseuds/cherrylarry
Summary: On the way out of the park, Gabriel gasps suddenly and points across the grassy area. He starts running.When Harry catches up to Gabe, - that boy runs fast - he's with a man and his dog and Gabe is petting the dog."Gabriel James. You know better than to run off like that! Did you ask to pet the dog?" Harry scolds."I'm sorry Uncle Harry. I saw a dog and I just wanted to see the fluffy dog! Look how fluffy!" Gabe exclaims.Harry rolls his eyes and turns his attention to the dog owner. The very attractive dog owner.Or, the one where Harry takes his nephew to the park and runs into Louis and his Labradoodle Clifford.





	Safe Like Springtime

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "fluffy". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/fluffy), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1 and 2), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/185709101043/wordplay-2019-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).
> 
> I really didn't think I would be able to post this week but I did it! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I don't know why but it's here yay! Hope you enjoy reading!

"Uncle Harry, come  _ on _ !" The six-year-old yells, dragging Harry by his arm towards the playground.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Don't pull my arm out of the socket." Gemma had asked Harry to pick Gabe up from school, and since it was a beautiful spring day, Harry took a detour to the playground at the park before heading home. It would be a couple hours before Gemma would be able to pick him up from Harry's, so why not? He's not Gabe's favourite uncle for no reason.

Once they get inside the gated area of the playground, Gabe immediately let's go of Harry's hand and makes a beeline for the slide. Harry goes to one of the benches around the perimeter and sits down next to a mom with a stroller.

He watches Gabe play with the other kids on the playground, occasionally calling out to him to share the slide with the others. After half an hour making conversation with the mom next to him, cooing over her baby, he tells Gabe that they have to leave if they're going to get home in time for Gemma to pick him up.

On the way out of the park, Gabriel gasps suddenly and points across the grassy area. He starts running.

"Gabe, no!" Harry yells, chasing after the little boy. "Gabriel! Get back here, now!"

When he catches up to Gabe, - that boy runs  _ fast _ \- he's with a man and his dog and Gabe is petting the dog.

"Gabriel James. You know better than to run off like that! Did you ask to pet the dog?" Harry scolds.

"I'm sorry Uncle Harry. I saw a dog and I just wanted to see the fluffy dog! Look how fluffy!" Gabe exclaims.

Harry rolls his eyes and turns his attention to the dog owner. The very attractive dog owner. "I am so sorry about this one. He knows better than this."

"No worries, mate. Clifford here is very friendly and I've got little siblings meself, so I know the trouble of keeping the kids away from fluffy dogs." The dog owner says.

"Well anyway, uh- What’s your name?” Harry asks.

“Louis.”

Harry nods and turns to Gabe again. “Gabe, can you apologize to Louis for petting his dog without permission? You can’t just run up to a random dog, okay? You could’ve gotten hurt,” Harry explains.

Gabe nods sheepishly and looks at his feet. “I’m sorry Mr. Louis for petting your dog without permission.”

Louis kneels down to Gabe's level and gives him a smile, tilting his chin up to meet his eyes. "Thank you, Gabe. I accept your apology."

"Can I pet your dog now, Mr. Louis?" Gabe asks with a beaming smile. "See Uncle Harry, I asked!"

"Thank you for asking Gabriel," Harry smiles fondly at his nephew.

"Yes absolutely you can pet my dog. His name is Clifford and he's a labradoodle. One of the fluffiest dogs ever, I'd say," Louis says.

As Gabe plays with the dog, the two adults watch on and get to know each other. Louis mentioned before that he has younger siblings but he clarifies that he has six of them, with two sets of twins.

" _ Two _ sets of twins? Jesus, and I thought just one six-year-old was a handful, and he's not even mine," Harry says, amazed.

"Yeah, mum was truly amazing. We, uh, lost her to leukemia two years ago. Was the hardest thing I've ever been through."

"Oh, Louis I'm so sorry. Fuck cancer, honestly. We lost my stepdad to cancer a year ago. My mum had finally found her happy ever after."

"Fuck cancer," Louis agrees. "So, enough of the heavy stuff. I think we need some cheering up, what do you think?" Louis asks, and then whispers to Harry, "ice cream on me? I didn't want to say anything to Gabe without asking if it was okay first."

And that's so considerate of him, Harry is speechless. It's such a small thing, but most people wouldn't think to ask the parent - or in this case the guardian - of a child before blurting out something like going to get ice cream. Harry just stands frozen stupid, because an attractive man with really, really blue eyes, asked if it was okay to suggest getting ice cream with his nephew. Louis is starting to get confused and Harry know he should say something but he can't make his mouth form words

"Harry?"

"Yes!" Harry yells suddenly, making Louis jump back a bit, startled. "Yes that's fine. I'm his favorite Uncle for a reason and that reason is that I give him ice cream before dinner. My sister is probably gonna kill me for it but it's gonna be worth it."

So Harry, Louis, Gabe and Clifford started walking towards the ice cream parlor that was conveniently located across the street from the park. It had outdoor seating so Clifford tagging along wasn't a problem. Louis got their orders and left Harry and Gabe outside with the dog.

Louis comes back with his hands full, two cones in each hand. Mint chip for Louis, Superman for Gabe, vanilla for Harry, and a doggie ice cream cone for Clifford.

"Gabe is your uncle always this boring with vanilla ice cream?" Louis asks Gabe once they all got settled at one of the outdoor tables.

Gabe nods solemnly. "Yeah, Uncle Harry always gets plain vanilla no matter what. Not even with chocolate syrup!"

Louis exaggeratedly gasps and puts his hand to his heart. "Well that just won't do! Next time I'm gonna get Uncle Harry to get something different." Louis says with a definitive nod of his head.

"Next time?" Harry beams.

"Yeah, I mean, if you want there to be a next time, I'm quite fond of you Harry. I hope that's not weird or anything." Louis says, opening his mouth wide to take a bite of his ice cream. Harry's eyes watch Louis' mouth in an obvious stare, and when he looks up again to meet Louis's eyes, he's already looking back with a smirk.

Harry blushes and takes a bite of his own ice cream - tongue first as he does - and now Louis is the one staring at Harry's mouth. Harry can't bite back the smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I'd very much like a next time," Harry says softly, grinning from ear to ear so that his dimples show.

Suddenly there's a sticky finger poking his dimple and Harry jumps back, almost dropping his cone and making the owner of the finger giggle uncontrollably.

"Gabe! Now my face is all sticky you little shit!"

"Language!" Gabe shouts. Harry sticks his tongue out at Gabe childishly and the three of them start laughing. Cliff must feel left out because he starts barking at them, Little 'woofs' coming from the dog. Louis has to shush him before they get asked to leave even though they're outside.

By the time they're finished eating their ice cream and Harry remembers to look at the time, he has fifteen minutes before Gemma will be at his house to pick up Gabe. They're not going to make it in time, so Harry sends Gemma a text letting her know that she's gonna have to wait for them and then ignores the text back asking where they are and if Gabe has started his homework. He'll fill her in when they get there.

Cleaning up Gabe is a hassle and a group effort that the six-year-old decides not to cooperate in. He has blue, yellow and red absolutely everywhere on his face. He even has some behind his ear. Harry really should have thought this through before blurting out a yes.

All the way home, Harry's phone is burning a hole in his pocket because of the new contact he entered. When they do get home, Gemma already in the house because she has a key, Harry can't stop smiling. Gabe runs over to his mum and climbs into her lap.

"Why are you smiling so much? You look like a frog and it's creeping me out." Gemma says and Harry doesn't get a chance to reply because Gabe tells her all about it.

"We were at the park and then I saw a dog and the nice man called Louis got us ice cream!"

Gemma a eyebrows shoot up. " Ice cream, Harry really?"

Harry gives her a sheepish look and mouths 'sorry'.

"Okay, we better get going, Gabe. Say goodbye to Uncle Harry."

Before she leaves, Gemma stops at the doorway. "Don't think you're getting out of talking about this Louis guy. I want to hear all about him no later than tomorrow."

"Oh, of course not."

Later that evening, he texts Louis.

**H** _ : Hey  _

**H:** _ Still up for that second ice cream date? Without my nephew and your dog this time. _

**L:** _ So today was a date then?  _

**L:** _ I'd be honored to broaden your ice cream flavor horizons. _

**L:** _ That was awful I apologize _

**L:** _ Yes I'd love to. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I enjoy receiving nice comments and kudos! :) You can reblog the fic post [here](https://beelou/post/186003634644)


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